System and method for alarm signaling during alarm system destruction

ABSTRACT

A system and method provide for the immediate transmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow site and from the escrow site to a host station in the event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.” A system and method may also send an alarm signal during such an attack by using predictive analysis of real-time events.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation (and claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 USC § 120) of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/362,277, filed Nov. 28, 2016, now allowed, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/223,273, filed Mar. 24, 2014, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,508,249, issued Nov. 29, 2016, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/792,967, filed Mar. 11, 2013, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,680,982, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/615,318, filed Nov. 10, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.8,395,494, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/537,875, filed Oct. 2, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,512, the entirecontent of the prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.This patent application also is related to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/190,016, filed Jul. 27, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,090, whichis a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/683,299, filed Oct. 14, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,313, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/840,302, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,661,340 B1, which are all hereby incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of securitysystems, in particular to a system and method for automaticallyproviding alarm signaling to inform an owner and other authorizedentities in a manner predetermined by the user when alarm situationsand/or alarm worthy situations occur while an alarm system is beingintentionally destroyed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Security systems are typically implemented by either wired or wirelesssensors in the property being protected. These sensors may consist ofdoor contacts, window contacts, glass-break detectors, motion sensors,and other types of intrusion detection sensors, as well as otherenvironmental sensors like smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, and floodsensors. When a sensor is tripped, the system may sound a local siren,or notify an offsite host station of the event, or both. Depending onthe type of sensor tripped, the system may wait for a period beforesounding the alarm or notifying the host station so that the propertyowner or manager will have an opportunity to disarm the system.Recently, with the goal of reducing of the overall false alarm rate thathas troubled the industry, the Security Industry Association (SIA) hasalso advocated that most residential security systems be programmed withan automatic alarm signaling delay for all intrusion alarms so that thehomeowner has more time to cancel false alarms. Many security controlpanels today may be shipped with an SIA suggested “dialer delay” featureenabled. Security systems, which notify a host station of an alarm, arecalled “monitored security systems”. These systems most often notify thehost station, e.g., “central station”, of the alarm by using, forexample, telephone lines, e.g., POTS (plain old telephone service), orother landline (broadband) connection. These systems, however, may bedefeated by physically cutting or otherwise disabling the lineconnection to the property. If the connection to the property is cutbefore or immediately after an unauthorized intruder enters theproperty, then the system may not report the alarm to the host station.

To counter line disablement, some security systems are upgraded to sendalarm signals to the host station via a wireless radio. When wirelesssignaling from the security system to the host station occurs, thesecurity system cannot be disabled by merely cutting the landlineconnection to the home or business. Nevertheless, a wirelessradio-signaling device may still be vulnerable to attack. One commontactic used by intruders is a tactic known as the “crash and smash”technique.

In implementing the “crash and smash” technique, a savvy intruder mayeffectively disable phone lines (or other wired connections) as well aswireless signaling devices before a traditional alarm system is able tocontact a user. To implement the “crash and smash” technique, theintruder crashes through a door, for example, that is programmed todelay. The delay is typically programmed by the system designer to allowthe homeowner or property manager enough time to disarm their securitysystem before the alarm is sounded, or the host station is notified.During this delay period, the system is waiting to be disarmed. Althoughthese delay periods typically last about one minute, in response to highfalse alarm rates and high fines for false alarms, these delay periodsare being programmed to be longer, sometimes as long as three to fiveminutes, and many systems today may be programmed with a signaling delayimplemented for most intrusion alarms, even if the alarm was tripped bya sensor that is not on a commonly used access to the property. Thisdelay period provides the savvy intruder enough time to crash throughthe door and smash the security control panel and the wireless signalingdevice while the control panel is waiting to be disarmed or while thesystem is attempting to establish an analog (dial-up) phone connectionwith the host station. In this way, the security system is defeated.

This and other drawbacks may exist with current systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A typical alarm system uses a telephone connection to report an alarmsignal. A phone line based signal has a latency that is driven by (a)the need to capture the phone connection and (b) the time required toauto-dial the designated phone number, wait for an answer, and establisha handshake with the receiver. But despite these drawbacks, thetelephone connection, for a variety of reasons, remains the primarysignaling channel for most security system installations.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide immediatetransmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow sitevia a wired or a wireless signal or a wireless TCP/IP message. Messagesdelivered through a wireless radio, or an active TCP/IP channel maytypically be sent much more quickly than an alarm signal that needs tobe sent across the phone line. The escrow site may then wait for aconfirmation update that the alarm signal has been sent through thedesignated channel or communication path, usually through the telephoneline, to the host station, or for notification update that the alarm wascancelled, or for notification update that the primary signaling channelhas been disabled. In each case, the wireless radio or TCP/IP messagechannel may be used to send updates on the status of the signal to theescrow site. If the escrow site does not receive an update that thealarm has been successfully transmitted or cancelled, then the escrowsite may determine that the control panel and/or the signaling devicewas possibly damaged during the intrusion. As a result, the escrow sitemay forward the update to the host station to signal the alarmsituation. Likewise, if the update signals that the phone line has beendisabled or damaged, a notification update of the alarm situation may beforwarded from the escrow site to the host station.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, real-timeevent analysis may also be used to protect against “crash and smash”intrusions. In this case, monitor data from one or more sensors in aprotected location may be gathered and forwarded to a remote escrow sitefor real-time expected event analysis where the software operating atthe escrow site identifies event sequence anomalies which may indicatetampering with the security control panel by comparing the actualmonitor data against data which is expected. For example, if a securitysystem is armed to report alarms, and a door is opened, the softwarewould expect to receive either an event indicating that the system hadbeen disarmed, or that the alarm had been triggered because the systemwas not disarmed within the prescribed delay period. In this example, ifthe software received an event indicating that a door sensor wastripped, but did not subsequently receive an event indicating adisarming or an alarm in a prescribed period of time, then the softwarewould surmise that the security control panel or alarm signaling devicehad been disabled. The remote escrow site may be any location that isindependent of the security control panel, either onsite, or moretypically a secure offsite location. If an event anomaly is identified,a notification message may be sent to the property owner, propertymanager, emergency authorities, or a host station indicating that a“crash and smash” intrusion is likely in progress.

Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theadvantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a system for alarmsignaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another exemplary diagram illustrating an escrow site alarmsignaling system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for escrow sitealarm signaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for escrow sitealarm signaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for alarmsignaling using real-time event analysis, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below.While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should beunderstood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A personskilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components andconfiguration can be used without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

An embodiment of the present invention is directed to immediatetransmission of a potential alarm to a remote alarm signal escrow siteto provide alarm signaling in the event where a control panel or analarm signaling device is being tampered with or destroyed by adisablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.” Crash and smashintrusions are becoming increasingly common. Here, an intruder mayrecognize that an alarm signal may be sent using a phone line or viawireless radio from the protected property. As a result, a phone line(or other wired connections) may be easily disabled prior to anintrusion. Although wireless signaling devices may be more difficult tocompromise, an intruder may still disable such devices if the intruderlocates the control panel and/or signaling device and physicallydestroys the device before an alarm signal is sent.

In order to successfully execute a “crash and smash” intrusion or othersimilarly destructive intrusions, an intruder, for example, may firstattempt to identify the door or doors that a property owner or managerwould typically use to enter the protected premise when the alarm systemis armed. These doors may often be programmed to allow the propertyowner or manager to enter the premise and go to a control panel having,e.g., a touchpad, where they may disarm or cancel the alarm systembefore the alarm system triggers. Other entries ways may also beidentified, e.g., garage door, back door, or other entrance. Most alarmsystems may have a predetermined time period, e.g., thirty or sixtyseconds or even longer, to disarm the system after entering the premisesthrough a designated portal. In an effort to reduce the typically highfalse alarm rates, many systems today may be programmed with significantdelay between the triggered alarm state and the alarm-signaling event sothat accidental false alarms may be cancelled and unnecessary policedispatches may be avoided. If the system is not properly disarmed afterthis allotted time, an alarm may be triggered. If an intruder cuts thephone line prior to intrusion, an additional signaling delay may beincurred since many security control panels (e.g., the GE Simon controlpanel) may repeatedly attempt to send their signal via the phone line.Additional signaling delays may be incurred because these attempts tosend an alarm signal via a wired connection may occur several timesbefore a system attempts to send a signal via wireless radio. A savvyintruder may understand these processes and take advantage of thesedelays by crashing through the door expected to be programmed with adelay, or attacking properties installed by security companies known toinstall systems with high delays so that false alarms may be reduced,and then going directly to the control panel to smash or destroy it. Heor she may also destroy the alarm signaling gear in the process. Allthis may take place even before the alarm delay period expires. As aresult, the premeditated attack may provide an intruder one or moreminutes of intrusion time. Other variations to the above-describedintrusion may also be considered.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, when an alarmsituation occurs, a message may also be immediately sent via a secondconnection path such as a wireless radio or a TCP/IP signal channel to aremote alarm signal “escrow site” even if the panel has been programmedto primarily transmit alarms (e.g., an alarm signal) through the phoneline. In one embodiment, the escrow site may be a Network OperationsCenter (NOC). The wireless radio or other signaling device may also sendto the escrow site an update identifying the situation. For example, theupdate may include information about the alarm signal that the controlpanel is attempting to send through the telephone connection or otherprimary connection, an acknowledgement that the alarm signal has beensuccessfully transmitted through its primary connection, that the phoneline (or other forms of connectivity) has been disabled, or that thealarm signal has been effectively cancelled. The update may alsoidentify other similar situations. If the escrow site does not receivean update that the alarm signal has been successfully transmitted, theescrow site may determine that the control panel and/or the signalingdevice may have been damaged during the intrusion. As a result, theescrow site may forward an update to inform the host station of thealarm situation, e.g., the crash and smash intrusion. Likewise, if theupdate indicates that the phone line has been disabled or damaged, theescrow site may forward an update to inform the host station. The remotealarm signal escrow site may choose not send an update to the hoststation if the alarm signal was successfully transmitted or if theproperty owner or manager properly disarmed or the cancelled the alarmsignal.

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of a security network system 100,according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically,FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a system for alarmsignaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Securitysystem 100 may include a plurality of monitor devices of varying typethat transmit data to a control panel 120, which may be integrated withor separate from a control panel or other similar device. The monitordevices may include sensor 110, contact 112, motion detectors 114, videorecorder 116 and/or other device 118. The monitor devices may be locatedat the same location, affiliated location, remote location, etc. Themonitor devices may span across multiple subscribers and/or acrossmultiple locations.

Control panel 120 may transmit alarm information to a host station 130.The host station 130 (which may also be known as a “central monitoringstation”) may process the alarm situation, status data and/or otherrelevant information. Control panel 120 may be local or remote from thesensors. The control panel 120 in this embodiment may interpret sensordata and determine if sensor data and user actions (or lack thereof)constitute an alarm condition. The control panel 120 may gather monitordata and forward the monitor data to host station 130. In addition, thecontrol panel 120 may function as a messaging hub to buffer the monitordata and facilitate data transmission. Control panel 120 may transmitthe monitor data via various modes of communication, including by way ofexample wireless communication, broadband, WiMax, etc. Communication maybe established through various mediums. An example may include a radiomodem (e.g., CreateaLink 2XT radio modem), which may transmit radiowaves at a predetermined frequency (e.g., 900 MHz). Such radio waves maythen be received by the host station 130 or at an intermediary systemthat relays the signal over a secondary communication channel (e.g.,TCP/IP system) to host station 130. Other examples of modes ofcommunication may include POTS (plain old telephone service), cablemodem, DSL (digital subscriber links), wireless (two-way pager, packetswitched, telephone cellular networks) and others. Other device 118 mayalso include a user interface box, connected over a long-range networkor other network to host station 130 and/or control panel 120.

Escrow site or NOC 125 may receive an alarm signal from the controlpanel 120 to forward to the host station 130. The escrow site 125 inthis embodiment functions as a secondary or back-up line of transmissionfor the control panel 120 to communicate with the host station 130. Theescrow site 125 may use a software program to monitor activities trackedby the monitor devices and analyze system event sequences that wouldindicate a crash and smash intrusion. The host station 130 may thenreceive data from the control panel 120 and/or escrow site 125 and/oruse an additional software program to indicate a crash and smashintrusion.

According to another embodiment, the monitor devices may transmit datadirectly to the host station 130, thereby bypassing the control panel120. Monitor devices (e.g., sensors 110, contacts 112, motion detector114, video 116 and/or other device 118, etc.) may communicateindividually to the host station 130 via various modes of communication,including wireless communication, broadband (wireless and/or wired)and/or other methods including the use of a secondary control panel.They may also directly communicate with the escrow site 125. Devices(e.g., sensors, monitors, etc.) may monitor activity levels and becontrolled across multiple locations through one or more interfaces. Thehost station 130 may receive monitor data from the various remotedevices for compiling, processing and/or responding. Other actions mayalso be taken in response to the data.

Databases 140, 142 may store relevant information for processing themonitor data as desired by a subscriber. Exemplary database informationmay include user information, alarm events, reports, sensor and systemevent sequences, and/or other information. While shown as separatedatabases, it should be appreciated that the contents of these databasesmay be combined into fewer or greater numbers of databases and may bestored on one or more data storage systems. User information may beobtained from user database 140.

Databases 140, 142 may also store relevant information for personalizedalarm services. Alarm events and other information may be stored inalarm events database 142. A user may generate reports based onhistorical and/or other data, which may be stored in reports database144. Other information may be accessed and/or stored in other database146. In addition, subscribers and/or other designated recipients, asshown by contacts 160-162, may be alerted or notified of certain events,triggers, reports and/or other desired information, via variouspreferred modes, including by way of example, POTS, cable modem, DSL,wireless, broadband, etc. Based on user preferences and otherinformation, the user may be notified via various methods ofcommunication, as specified in the user's profile and preferencesinformation. Alert notification may be communicated via the Internet,POTS, wireless communication portals, voice portals, and/or othermethods. Contact individuals and/or entities 160-162 identified by theuser may also receive alert notification in an order determined by theuser. The contact order and other actions may be predetermined. Inaddition, the user may select contact order and/or other actions throughmenu options at the time of alarm situation notification. An emergencyentity, such as police, fire department, and/or rescue squads, may alsoreceive alert information.

A user may register various types of security devices, including thoseassociated with property, personal property, and/or individuals with thehost station 130 of the present invention. Property may include user'shome, office, vacation house or other locations. The security system mayalso be applied to a user's personal property, such as a car, boat orother mobile property. A security system may encompass personal securitydevices for individuals, such as a panic device. Other objects,locations, and property may be protected.

Various security devices may be associated with each location, item ofpersonal property, or individual within the security network of thepresent invention. For property, security devices may include sensors,detectors and/or other devices for detecting alarm situations. Forindividuals, security devices may include a panic button or othersimilar device. Other security devices may be implemented with thesystem of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, security devicesmay be predominantly wireless and communicate locally over short-rangeradio or other modes of communication. Each of the sensors (or group ofsensors) may be equipped with a transmitter and the control panel may beequipped with a receiver. A control panel of the present invention mayreceive regular status information from the sensors and may be alertedwhen a sensor detects an alarm situation. The control panel may receiveother information. Transmission of regular status information may occurat predetermined intervals, as well. For example, the sensors may senddigital data packets providing status and other data at 10-secondintervals, for example. Also, on or off status information may beconveyed to the escrow site 125 and/or host station 130.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a system for escrow sitealarm signaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention.One or more sensors 210, 212, 214 may indicate an alarm event, e.g., adoor opening, etc. Sensors 210, 212, 214 may be located within a singleunit (e.g., house) or across multiple locations (e.g., chain of stores).Control panel 220 may send an alarm signal via a first communicationpath, e.g., a phone line (or other wired connection), in response to thealarm situation detected by one or more sensors 210, 212, and/or 214.Additional control panels represented by 222 may be implemented.

The alarm signal may be sent to a host station 230, as shown by 250. Amessage 252 may be sent via wireless radio. The message may be sent to aseparate alarm signal escrow site 240 or NOC, as shown by 252, via asecond communication path, e.g., a wireless radio. The escrow site 240may be remote or local from the host station 230. In one embodiment, themessage may be sent simultaneously with the alarm signal or shortlybefore or after the alarm signal. The wireless radio may also send anupdate 254 that provides information concerning the alarm event. Forexample, the update 254 may include data indicating that the alarmsignal has been successfully transmitted, the control panel has detectedthat the phone line or other wired connection, e.g., broadband, has beendisable (e.g., physically cut by an intruder), or a cancellation of thealarm signal.

If the escrow site 240 fails to receive any message or receives themessage indicating that the wired connection has been disabled, theescrow site may then forward the update to the host station 230, asshown by 256, to indicate the likelihood of a crash and smash intrusion.For example, the alarm signal may not be received by the host station230, as shown by 250. Receipt of the update at the escrow site, however,that the alarm signal was successfully transmitted or effectivelycancelled may result in no further signaling by the escrow site. Hoststation 230 may then respond accordingly.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for escrow sitealarm signaling, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Atstep 310, an alarm situation maybe identified. The alarm situation mayinclude entry of a primary door (or other entry ways) onto a protectedlocation. The primary door may include the door in which a propertymanager or owner or other delegate enters before disarming the alarmsystem. Other alarm situations may also include a combination of sensorsand/or monitor devices in a variety of locations, and any situationwhere cancellation of the alarm system may be warranted. The locationmay include a subset within a location (e.g., one or more rooms within ahome, etc) or one or more locations (e.g., stores at different areas,etc.). Cancellation of an alarm signal may include, for example,disarming an alarm system by the entry of a passcode in the touch pad ofa control panel, a key, or other suitable mechanisms. Other methods ofdisarming may also be implemented, such as voice recognition, retinascanning, fingerprint identifications, etc. Here, a predetermined timedelay may be implemented for a property owner or manager to cancel analarm signal.

At step 320, an alarm signal may be sent from a control panel to a hoststation via a first communication path, e.g., a phone line (or othersimilar connection), in response to an identification of an alarmsituation 310. The alarm signal may be sent to a host station.

At step 330, a message may be sent via a second communication path,e.g., a wireless radio (or other similar connection). The message may besent from the control panel (or individual monitor devices) to a remotealarm signal escrow site or NOC. In one embodiment, the message may besent simultaneously with the alarm signal or shortly before or after thealarm signal.

At step 340, the wireless radio may also send an update identifying thesituation. For example, the update may indicate that the alarm signalsent via the first communication path has been successfully transmitted,the control panel has detected that the phone line or other wiredconnection, e.g., broadband, has been disabled (e.g., physically cut byan intruder), or a cancellation of the alarm signal. Other events orsituations may also be identified by the message.

At step 350, the message may be transmitted to the host station inresponse to the message received at the escrow site. If the escrow sitefails to receive any message or receives the message indicating that thewired connection has been disabled, the escrow site may then forward theupdate to the host station to indicate the likelihood of a crash andsmash intrusion, as shown in step 340. Receipt of the update that thealarm signal was successfully transmitted or effectively cancelled mayresult in no further signaling by the escrow site.

FIG. 4 is another exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for escrowsite alarm signaling, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. At step 410, an alarm situation may be identified at alocation. At step 420, the escrow site may receive a message from thecontrol panel or from one or more monitor devices indicating the alarmsituation.

At step 430, the escrow site may also receive a message identifying thesituation. For example, the message may indicate that the alarm signalhas been successfully transmitted, the control panel has detected thatthe phone line or other wired connection, e.g., broadband, has beendisabled (e.g., physically cut by an intruder), or a cancellation of thealarm signal. Other events or situations may also be identified by themessage.

At step 440, the escrow site may forward or transmit an update to thehost station to indicate a crash and smash intrusion if the escrow sitefails to receive any message or receives the message indicating that thewired connection has been disabled.

Real-time event analysis may also protect against crash and smash eventsaccording to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, anoffsite system (e.g., in a home, office, etc.) as described above inconnection with FIG. 1, may be capable of monitoring and instantlyreporting each important single sensor and keypad event occurring in aparticular property before and during an alarm event. Some or all sensorand system events (e.g., 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, etc.) may beimmediately sent through one or more messages via broadband connectionor wireless signaling to a control panel 120 or an NOC 125, both ofwhich may be remote, where sensors may be monitored and system eventsequences analyzed to indicate symptoms of a crash and smash attack.

According to one example of the present invention, if a security systemis armed and a door that is programmed for a delayed alarm is opened, amessage may be immediately sent to a control panel 120 or NOC 125indicating that the door has been opened when the alarm was armed. Thehost station 130 may then know to expect that it should receive, withina predetermined amount of time, a message notification that the alarmsystem has been disarmed or that the alarm was not properly disarmed. Ifthe host station receives no notice of either within that proscribedamount of time, then the host station may be made aware that the alarmsystem and/or signaling device in the property may have been damaged,disabled, or otherwise tampered with. Accordingly, an alarm eventnotification may then be sent to the escrow site 125 and/or to propertyowners or other delegates about the intrusion.

According to another embodiment, the sensors themselves may simplymessage their state (or other information) to a host station and the“security system” is essentially just a defined collection of sensorsthat send their state and unique identification (and/or otherinformation) to the host station via a network (e.g., wireless,broadband, etc.). The same sensor may be defined to be included inseveral different security systems at the same time. For example,sensors 4, 5, 6 and 7 may together constitute the security system for astock room, while sensors 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 may representthe security system for a building. In the case of both systems, theremay be no traditional control panel involved as the sensors simplymessage their state and unique identity directly, or via a data hub, tothe escrow site and/or host station or to software operating at acentral NOC that may be capable of servicing multiple systemssimultaneously.

The term “wireless” may include long-range wireless radio, local areawireless network such as 802.11 based protocols, wireless wide areanetwork such as WiMax and/or other similar applications.

Other embodiments, uses and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Thespecification and examples should be considered exemplary only. Theintended scope of the invention is only limited by the claims appendedhereto.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method for handling an alarm situation, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a remote escrow site that is different from aremote host station and that is physically separate from a monitoredproperty, and from one or more sensors or a control panel located at theproperty, data indicating events occurring at the property; detecting,by the remote escrow site and based at least on a sequence of the eventsoccurring at the property, an alarm situation, wherein the alarmsituation is a situation in which (i) an unauthorized entrance to theproperty has likely occurred and (ii) a first communication path fromthe one or more sensors or the control panel to the remote host stationhas likely been disrupted; and in response to detecting the alarmsituation, transmitting, from the remote escrow site to the remote hoststation over a second communication path that is different than thefirst communication path, an alarm signal indicating that the alarmsituation has occurred.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the firstcommunication path is a wired communication path, and the secondcommunication path is a wireless communication path.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, comprising: in response to detecting the alarm situation,generating, by the remote escrow site, the alarm signal.
 5. The methodof claim 2, comprising: in response to detecting the alarm situation,transmitting, from the remote escrow site to a user device that isassociated with a user of the property and that is different from theremote host station, a notification indicating that the alarm situationhas occurred.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the alarmsituation comprises: determining, based on the analysis of the sequenceof the events occurring at the property, that an alarm signal cannot betransmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors orthe control panel using the first communication path.
 7. The method ofclaim 2, wherein detecting the alarm situation comprises: determining,based on the analysis of the sequence of the events occurring at theproperty, that (i) a sensor of the one or more sensors has beentriggered, and (ii) that a message indicating that the one or moresensors have been disarmed or that the one or more sensors have not beendisarmed within a prescribed delay period has not been received.
 8. Themethod of claim 2, wherein detecting the alarm situation comprises:determining, based on the analysis of the sequence of the eventsoccurring at the property, (i) that a message received by the remoteescrow site indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmittedto the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the controlpanel, and (ii) that an update message that is expected to be receivedby the remote escrow site indicating whether the alarm signal wastransmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors orthe control panel was not received by the remote escrow site.
 9. Analarm system for handling an alarm situation, the system comprising: oneor more sensors for identifying an alarm situation at a location of amonitored property; a control panel located at the property; and aremote escrow site that is different from a remote host station and thatis physically separate from the property, wherein the remote escrow siteis configured to: receive, from the one or more sensors or the controlpanel, data indicating events occurring at the property; detect, basedat least on a sequence of the events occurring at the property, an alarmsituation, wherein the alarm situation is a situation in which (i) anunauthorized entrance to the property has likely occurred and (ii) afirst communication path from the one or more sensors or the controlpanel to the remote host station has likely been disrupted; and inresponse to detecting the alarm situation, transmit, to the remote hoststation over a second communication path that is different than thefirst communication path, an alarm signal indicating that the alarmsituation has occurred.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the firstcommunication path is a wired communication path, and the secondcommunication path is a wireless communication path.
 11. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the remote escrow site is configured to: in response todetecting the alarm situation, generate the alarm signal.
 12. The systemof claim 9, wherein the remote escrow site is configured to: in responseto detecting the alarm situation, transmit, to a user device that isassociated with a user of the property and that is different from theremote host station, a notification indicating that the alarm situationhas occurred.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein detecting the alarmsituation comprises: determining, based on the analysis of the sequenceof the events occurring at property, that an alarm signal cannot betransmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors orthe control panel using the first communication path.
 14. The system ofclaim 9, wherein detecting the alarm situation comprises: determining,based on the analysis of the sequence of the events occurring at theproperty, that (i) a sensor of the one or more sensors has beentriggered, and (ii) that a message indicating that the one or moresensors have been disarmed or that the one or more sensors have not beendisarmed within a prescribed delay period has not been received.
 15. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein detecting the alarm situation comprises:determining, based on the analysis of the sequence of the eventsoccurring at the property, (i) that a message received by the remoteescrow site indicates that an alarm signal is expected to be transmittedto the remote host station from the one or more sensors or the controlpanel, and (ii) that an update message that is expected to be receivedby the remote escrow site indicating whether the alarm signal wastransmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors orthe control panel was not received by the remote escrow site.
 16. Analarm system for providing an alarm signal comprising: a receiver at aremote escrow site, the remote escrow site being different from a remotehost station and physically separate from a monitored property, whereinthe receiver is configured to receive, from one or more sensors or acontrol panel, data indicating events occurring at the property; one ormore processors at the remote escrow site configured to detect, based atleast on a sequence of the events occurring at the property, an alarmsituation, wherein the alarm situation is a situation in which (i) anunauthorized entrance to the property has likely occurred and (ii) afirst communication path from the one or more sensors or the controlpanel to the remote host station has likely been disrupted; and atransmitter at the remote escrow site that is configured to, in responseto detecting the alarm situation, transmit, to the remote host stationover a second communication path that is different than the firstcommunication path, an alarm signal indicating that the alarm situationhas occurred.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the firstcommunication path is a wired communication path, and the secondcommunication path is a wireless communication path.
 18. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the one or more processors at the remote escrow siteare configured to: in response to detecting the alarm situation,generate the alarm signal.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein thetransmitter at the remote escrow site is configured to: in response todetecting the alarm situation, transmit, to a user device that isassociated with a user of the property and that is different from theremote host station, a notification indicating that the alarm situationhas occurred.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein detecting the alarmsituation comprises: determining, based on the analysis of the sequenceof the events occurring at property, that an alarm signal cannot betransmitted to the remote host station from the one or more sensors orthe control panel using the first communication path.
 21. The system ofclaim 16, herein detecting the alarm situation comprises: determining,based on the analysis of the sequence of the events occurring at theproperty, that (i) a sensor of the one or more sensors has beentriggered, and (ii) that a message indicating that the one or moresensors have been disarmed or that the one or more sensors have not beendisarmed within a prescribed delay period has not been received.